Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well about a year and a half ago I bought an adult female boa that was puppy dog tame in hopes of breeding my male. I have had my male since he was born, and he is very easy going. About 2 months ago I had my large female out and I ended up in a wrestling match with her trying to keep her from going behind a very large bookcase. In fact, my wife had to come help me. Then it started, I said "At least shes never tagged me." then... BAM bit me, blood dripping down my arm, and I'm holding a strong boa that is much longer than I am tall. Ever since then she has been very skiddish and it's quite scary just to get her out to feed her. Today I decided to get her out and let her roam a little. Well, I picked her up and just put her on the carpet, not really even attempting to handle her, and again, Bam- blood dripping down my leg then she struck at me like three more times. I had to cover her with a towel, grab her neck and get her back in the aquarium, the whole time her mouth was wide open. As soon as she was put in the aquarium, she struck the glass at me. Well my wife (a veterinarian) says either find a home or we'll euthanize her. We have rescued lots of animals, and I am against euthanizing because of this, but now I don't know what to do?? I doubt she is pregnant this year and despite my best efforts (and my males best efforts) last year, she didn't deliver. Does anyone have similar problems or have any advice for me??

Thanks,
Tony

Tony,
as I'm certain will be echoed here numerous times...the answer is definately not putting her down. It is not the snakes fault you get bit, it is always the keepers as if it were up to the snake it would be crawling around the amazons doing it's thing not thinking about biting anyone if it were not in your possession. Sometimes boids that are on the ground and trying to cruise around act with aggression when you try to prevent them from doing so, sometimes this is accentuated if you initially grab it by the tail...they almost all react negatively to that. I almost always start out my handling sessions with a hook and always keep one handy while the animal is out. Your forcing the boa, or wrestling with it was obviously taken by the boa as a sign of aggression. I have had boas that got tiffy with me and we together had to reestablish trust for one another over a period of time. I also have some boas that I have kept that I knew the risk of them biting existed and I interacted with them accordingly....it didn't take away my interests in them and it would never be cause enough for me to rid myself of any serpent. They are all different...animals that is and each one has a unique personality....if what you want from your boa is more than the relationship you have sell it or give it away....and remember these are boids that aren't going to train like some other animals so acting negatively to it when it misbehaves will not correct the situation but rather further destroy your relationship. Good luck.
-dinopolis

Perhaps she may be getting sick. If she was tame befor and then became aggressive all of a sudden there may be somthing wrong. No animal should be put down due to agression and I know your aginst it but I cant figure out why a vet would recomend this? If I were you I would have a fecal exam done and also have the vet check for signs of R.I. and also check your cage setup, sometimes temp changes can cause your boa to be a little grouchy.

First off, putting a snake down because of its temperment is not the thing to do. If we did that, we wouldn't have very many snakes at all. Just like someone else said, we just handle those snakes accordingly. Some of our females get nasty when breeding season rolls around, the rest of the time they are sweeties. Some of our males get really squirmy around this time too! Those hormones just take over everything. If you need a home for this boa, I am sure there are plenty of people on here willing to take her. Sounds like she could be feeding emotions off of you too! If you are jumpy around her, she picks up on that. Also the stress of the rough handling has scared her. It will take time for her to settle down and trust again. Try taking baby steps again. Throw a tshirt that you have worn all day in the cage with her, this will get her used to your smell so it won't be as scary for her. You could bag her and set her in your lap and gently get her used to touch again. There are numereous things you can do to calm an animal down. But realize she may never be like she was. The first boa I ever owned was a sweetie and would never attempt to bite anyone. But she matured and we put a male in with her last year, she hasn't been the same since. Why this happened, I have no clue, some of our other boas it didn't phase at all. Currently I am going through sort of the same thing, only with a really big "lizard". It's hard not be scared when this thing could do some serious injury. So we are taking baby steps and getting comfortable with eachother before we move on. This is what I would do with the snake you are talking about. But there is no set way and everyone has different ways, not wrong, but different. So find your own way that you and the snake are comfy with. Just please don't let you wife put this animal down. It has done nothing but what its supposed to do. Its just not your idea of what it's supposed to do.

Later

Danni
-----
Jason & Danni
Our Email
Our Website

SMILE SMILE

No, I won't let my wife put her down and yes I would find a home if it ever comes to that. Last night I didn't sleep, kept seeing my big girl lunging at me with that very large mouth. I have been fascinated by snakes my whole life and have always kept one since I was around 14. Never been afraid of them before. I even captured a rattlesnake in our backyard and relocated it to the desert. My female Delilah is just so big and powerful and has quite a reach.

I guess it's a good thing I don't own any hots because I'm not very good at avoiding being tagged. Guess I'll have to learn how to use a snake hook. Thanks for the great suggestions especially about bagging her and sitting her in my lap- I'll have to try that.

My male and Female are housed together in a large enclosure. I know this is not recommended. Last breeding season he was all over her, but this year I have seen no action. I'm even more concerned now because she hasn't eaten the last two times I have tried to feed her. Usually she will pound as many rats as I am willing to defrost and lately she's been getting small rabbits. This is unlike her. Yesterday after she calmed down some, I covered her with a towel and then placed a large tubberware in the aquarium with two rats on it(took the male out) and uncovered her. Left it in there over night and now they are still sitting there. She is usually fed in a 20 gallon storage tupperware, but I was tired of fighting her and didn't have anyone (willing) to help me.

Thanks for the suggestions again, maybe it is just hormones and I understand this may never go away. I'll keep you posted.

Tony.